A Study
of the Pramanayninaynsa
- An Incomplete
Work on Jaina Logic
Hojun Nagasaki
I (1)
The Pramanamimamsa (Pm.) is an important work on Jaina logic and
epistemology by the great Jaina monk, Hemacandra (1088-1171 A. D.) who
is given the title Kalikalasarvajna (the Omniscient of the Kali age). It
is believed that this was probably his last work for the reason that it
(2)
was left incomplete, though in the, beginning the author puts forward the
plan that he would' complete the work in five chapters. The fact that
the work is incomplete does not always mean to be the last work of an
author. We may suppose that, he could not afford to complete the work
for some reasons and that the manuscript was not properly handed down
up to now. Our intention is to find out the authentic conclusion after
examining the style, frame and contents of Pm. in comparison with those
of works belonging to other schools.
II
In the beginning of Pm. the author illustrates the style of the work
he follows.
"If that be the case, why is it that you do not set out to
com-pose a discursive treatise (prakarana) following (the example of)
Akalarnka, Dharmakirti and the like ? Why do you assume the role
(1) A manuscript of the work and its commentary by the author himself has
been first noticed by Peterson in his Fifth Report on Sanskrit MSS. pp.
147-148 and edited by scholars (Arhatamata-prabhakara edition, Sancalaka Singhi
Jaina Granthamala, 1939). The English translation of this work was published
by Dr. S. Mookerjee in collaboration with Dr. N. Tatia (Bharati
Mahavidya-laya Publications, Jaina Series No. 5, 1946).
(2) Introduction (English translation of Pm.) p. 6.
-868-of a writer -868-of aphorisms-a vainglorious pose (in all conscience) ? Don't be censorious. The present writer follows his own taste and
there is neither public (opinion) nor a royal command to put a
restraint upon the free exercise of his will. So your contention i&
(3) a frivolous trifle."
Hemacandra follows the sutra or aphoristic style, on his own taste,
in composing this work without following the prakarana or discursive
method of Akalanka, Dharmakirti and the like to whom he is deeply
in-(4)
debted in logic and epistemology. The sutra or aphoristic style which
Hemacandra follows was as, for instance, in the Nyayasutra and so on,.
used by authors of the Brahmanical schools. Even in the Jaina school
this style was adopted by Umasvati in expressing the Jaina doctrine in,
his Tattvarthadhigamasutra. It is, therefore, clear from this that
Hema-candra followed the style of these writers.
As for the frame of the work we can find the following statement
in Pm.
"The Master has composed this sastra in five adhyayas (Books),
each consisting of a group of ahnikas (Lectures); of the latter
again each consists of a number of prakaranas (discourses); each
prakarana is made of a group of sutras (aphorisms); each sutra
consists of a number of padas (inflected words) each of which in
(5)
its turn is composed of a number of varnas (syllables)."
The Nyayabhasya by Vatsyayana is divided into five adhyayas, eachh
consisting of two ahnikas after the plan of the Nyayasutra. It is to be
noticed that the same plan in almost the same words is found in the
Nyayavarttika by Uddyotakara. It runs as follows.
"This sastra which consists of a group of sentences such as,
(3) Pm. 1. 1. 2.
(4) Louis Renou: Histoire de la langue sanskrite p.55, 大 地 原 豊 助 数 授 「イ ン
ド土 着 文 法 學 に お け る比 喩 的 論 謹 」-Mahabhaya 1. 1. 56. の 事 例-(關 西 大 學
東 西 學 術 研 究 所 論 叢 四 十 七)p. 1.
(5) Pm. 1. 1. 3.
-867-A Study of the Pramanamimamsa (H. Nagasaki) (131)
inference and the like has been, composed in five adhyayas, each
consisting of a group of ahnikas; of the latter again each consists
of a number of prakaranas; each prakarana is made of a group of
sutras; each sutra consists of a number of padas each of which
(6)i n its turn is composed of a number of varnas."
The fact that many quotations from the Nyayasutra, the Nyayabhasya
and the Nyayavarttika are found in Pm. implies that Hemacandra is deeply
indebted to these works. It is plain that Hemacandra was much influenced
by these works of the Nyaya, when he wrote his work, and that he has
borrowed the plan of the frame from the Nyayavarttika. We can
there-fore maintain from what has been stated above that Hemacandra follows,
in the style and the frame of his work, the example of the
commenta-tors on the Nyayasutra and the talented writers as Umasvati of his own
school.
In the present text, however, whole adhyayas are not available,
al-though, as we have mentioned, Hemacandra intended to compose the
work divided into five adhyayas, each consisting of a group of ahnikas
and so on. The first adhyaya is divided into two ahnikas. The first ahnika
consists of 42 sutras, while the second ahnika 23 sutras. The present work
abruptly ends in the middle of the course while proposing to define the
epistolary style of debate in III prakarana, the 1st ahnika of the 2nd
adhyaya, after having stated and criticised the Buddhist view of an
occa-sion of censure (nigrahasthana) in the preceding prakaranas.
The Nyayabhasya and the Nyayavarttika are divided into five adhyayas,
each consisting of two ahnikas. As for Pm. following the plan of these
works, its first adhyaya consists of two ahnikas as already mentioned.
Assuming that each of the five adhyayas of Pm. consisted of two ahnikas
as in the Nyayabhasya and the Nyayavarttika, we may easily perceive that
the work available is only a little more than one fourth of the whole work intended. Since the work extant is a little more than one fourth of the work
planed, its contents and subject-matters might be also a little more than one
fourth of the whole to be discussed and consequently the present work
must be absolutely imperfect. Let us therefore glance at the contents of
the work in order to examine how far the subject-matters of logic and
epistemology are dealt with in it, in comparison with that of the standard
works in the Nyaya. ADHYAYA I
AHNIKA-I
The meaning of prainana and mimarhsa. General definition of pramana.
Definition of nirnaya.
Definition of samsaya, anadhyavasaya, viparyaya.
Problem whether pramanya (validity) of an organ of knowledge
is self-determined or determined by another.
The classification of pramana.
Two kinds of pramana-pratyaksa (perceptual) and paroksa
(non-per-ceptual).
Statement of pramana accepted by other schools.
The specific definition of pramana. Definition of pratyaksa.
Twofold division of pratyaksa-mukhya (transcendent) and
samvya-vaharika (empirical).
Other varieties of transcendent intuition-avadhi (visual intuition,
clairvoyance) and manah-paryaya (intuition of modes of other
minds).
Saynvyavaharika intuition conditioned by a sense and the mind and
being of the nature of avagraha, Ma, avaya and dharana.
Definition of pratyaksa in other schools.
Pramanasya visaya (the objective knowledge), phala (resultant),
pramatri (subject)
AHNIKA-II
A Study of the Pramanamimamsa (H. Nagasaki) (133)
sions (smrti, pratyabhijnana, uha, anumana, agama).
Vyapti (necessary concomitance).
Svartha-anumana (subjective inference) and parartha-anumana
(sy-llogistic inference)
The Buddhist theory of trairupya (triple characteristic) of a valid
probans and the Naiyayika's pancarupya (quantuple characteristic)
refuted.
Five types of probantia (svabhava, karana, karya, ekarthasamavaya,
virodha).
Sadhya (probandum).
Six types of badha (contradiction).
The question whether drstanta is a necessary factor of inference
or not.
Sadharmya and vaidharmya.
4DHYAYA II
AHNIKA-I
pararthanumana (syllogistic inference).
Constitution of a syllogism and five members of syllogism.
Abhasa (sham simulant).
Asiddha, viruddha and anaikantika.
Sixteen types of drstantabhasa (false example).
Dusana (confutation).
Jati (false confutation or sophism).
Chala (casuistry).
Vada (legitimate discourse)-Jalpa (disputation).
Vitanda (wrangling).
Jaya (victory) and parajaya (defect).
Nigrahasthana (occasions of censure).
Patra (epistle).
he rest is not available....
Since Pm., in its style and frame, is under influence of the Nyaya,
-864-it is adequate to compare the contents of Pm. w-864-ith those of the Nyaya. (7)Th
e sixteen categories of the Nyaya school, elucidated in the Nyayasutra
and so on, expounds the fundamental subject-matters of logic.
In comparison with the categories of the Nyayasutra, we can find
that the subject-matters which accord with the sixteen categories of the
Nyaya are almost discussed in Pm. Consequently it shows that Pm. is
almost a complete work with important subject-matters discussed, if we
observe it through the sixteen categories of the Nyaya. It is, however,
not proper to suppose that Hemacandra has sufficed with the
subject-matters which accord with the categories of the Nyaya, since even in
adhyaya II, III and IV of the Nyayasutra the subject-matters other than
the sixteen categories are discussed. He is, having been conversant with
philosophies of all schools, supposed to have developed the subject-matters
and contributed something to, Jaina logic in adhyaya III, IV and V of Pm.
Dharmakirti is bitterly criticised in Pm., although Hemacandra is
indebted much to the thought of Dharmakirti. What reminds us in this
connection is this. The Jaina doctrine is, on the ground of apoha, confuted
in four gathers from 181 to 184 of the Pramanavarttika as pointed out by
(8)
Dr. E. Kanakura. We can easily perceive that Hemacandra most probably
intended, in the rest of the adhyayas which remain blank for the present,
to meet the criticism of Dharmakirti and criticise the doctrine of apoha
which occupies an important position in the Pramanavarttika, since Pm.
is either deeply indebted to Dharmakirti or is criticising his position. It
also proves that Pm. does not include the whole subject-matters intended
by Hemacandra. It is a great loss for us not to be able to know the whole
subject-matters intended, although the work is not vitiated inasmuch as
the whole subject-matter in logic and epistemology summed up in the
categories of the Nyaya school is almost elucidated in it.
(7) Nyayasutra 1. 1, 1.
(8) 金 倉 圓 照 博 士 著 「印 度 精 神 文 化 の 研 究 」pp. 392-395.
-863-A Study of the Pramanamimamsa (H. Nagasaki) (135)
III
The all available manuscripts of Pm. abruptly end in the same place
does not fail to attract our attention. As far as the tradition of renowned
Jaina monk, Hemacandra is concerned, it is scarcely maintained that the
complete work of Pm. was not handed down properly to deciples. It is.
also absolutely impossible to think that Hemacandra, the most versatile
and prolific writer, did not complete the work without any special reason.
The most credible supposition is that it was his last work and he died
before he could complete it.
(9)
The gloss on Pm. illustrates the meanings of atha in aphorism I,.
"ath a pramanamimamsa". Atha means commencement (adhikara)
accord-ing to the first interpretation. As regards the second interpretation of
atha, it runs as follows:
"Or, let the word atha stand for the idea of sequence. The meaning
would thus become: organ of knowledge is being discussed
subse-quent to the treatment of Grammar (sabda), Poetics (kavya) and
Prosody (chandas). Understood in this sense the word (atha) serves
to signify that this (work) is the product of the same author as
that of Grammar, etc."
It indicates that the same author, i. e. Hemacandra has composed Pm.
subsequent to the treatment of grammar, poetics and prosody. As we know,
he was one of the most many-sided writers, both as a poet and as a scholar.
He has, under the reign of Siddharaja, written the
S'iddhahemasabdanusa-sana, one of the best grammar with its practical arrangement and
termi-nology. As for the treatment of poetics by him, we have the Kavyanusasana
(or Dvyasraya) accompanied by his own commentary (Alamkaracudamani).
As an example of prosody, mention may be made of his Chandonusasana
with his vrtti. His literary activity also extended to logic and philosophy
after having composed the works on grammar, poetics and prosody.
(9) Pm. 1. 1. 4.
-862-Hemacandra has also, in his last period, written the works on
bio-graphy. The Yogasastra and the Vitaragastuti are, for instance, reported
(10)
to have composed after he was seventy years old. The Vitaragastuti
consists of a group of the songs of praise among which the
Ayogavya-vaccedika and the Anyayogavyavacchedika are well-known. The former
is devoted to a defence of the Jaina system, and the other to criticism of
other schools. Pm. can be evidently proved to have been composed after
the Ayogavyavacchedika from the fact that the latter is quoted three times
(11)
in Pm. It stands to reason to suppose that Pm. belongs to the last period
of his activity.
We can therefore firmly conclude from what has been stated above
that Pm. was the last work by Hemacandra and that he was prevented
by death to continue to write the remaining chapters of his work.
(10) G. BUhler's The life of Hemacandracarya, p. 39.
(11) Pm. 1. 1. 57 (Ay. 21), Pm. 1. 1. 58 (Ay. 25), Pm. 1. 1. 58 (Ay. 31).
